• In an effort to “send a message of inclusion to its widely diverse fan base,” the NBA champion Toronto Raptors said they are the first NBA to offer an athletic hijab for Muslim women. The Nike Pro Hijabs with the team’s logo were inspired by the Hijabi Ballers, a Toronto-based non-profit organization dedicated to "celebrating and increasing the involvement of Muslim females in sports." “Inspired by those brave enough to change the game” the team posted to its social media platforms along with a video of the Hijabi Ballers in action.

• Greenleaf Foods said it has signed a deal with the Los Angeles Rams to become the first plant-based food brand to officially partner with an NFL team. As part of this partnership, Greenleaf’s Lightlife Burger will be available at Rams home games this season, beginning Sep. 15 during the team’s 2019 home opener ( agasint tthe New Orleans Saints). Lightlife plant-based protein products will also be featured in the Rams Game On! Program at Albertson’s, Vons, and Pavilions.

• The NFL and Facebook have signed a multi-year partnership extension that will “deliver more diversified NFL video content to fans worldwide through Facebook Watch,” expanding a relationship that began in 2017

The NFL will continue distributing recaps from all 256 regular season games, as well as playoff games and the Super Bowl; plus video highlights from such postseason tentpole events las the Pro Bowl, NFL Scouting Combine and NFL Draft. The NFL will also utilize Facebook Watch for distribution of an array of unique content including NFL news and analysis, Video versions of NFL-produced podcasts and classic and special NFL 100 content.

In addition, the NFL will create Facebook Groups around content themes and work to share relevant video in those groups.

• American Airlines will not renew its naming rights deal with the venue that is home to the NBA’s Miami Heat, which has been AmericanAirlines Arena since it opened in 1999 via a 20-year deal valued at $42 million, according to Miami Today. The team and Miami-Dade County executives are in “advanced talks”with another national company. American will remain the official airline for the Heat.

• Bowlero Corp,, the leading owner and operator of bowling centers in America, has acquired the Professional Bowlers Assn. which has been in operation since 1958. Bowlero said, “All scheduled tournaments and programming will continue, with plans to build upon key initiatives including the PBA's groundbreaking Fox Sports partnership.” Full story here.

• Marshawn Lynch has been named as the founded for the expansion Oakland Panthers of the Indoor Football League, with the team beginning play in February 2020 in Oakland (formerly Oracle) Arena. The NFL Raiders are moving from Oakland to Las Vegas beginning with the 2020 season. Full story here.

• The Paley Center for Media, NY, will honor the 100th season of the NFL with a new exhibit: "A Century of Football: Celebrating the NFL’s 100th Season," free and open to the public (Sept. 14-Oct. 27), which includes the first public screening of the only known complete broadcast of Super Bowl I (then known as the AFL-NFL World Championship Game) in January 1967 between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs

• Pete Frates and Pat Quinn, co-founders of ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, have launched with The ALS Assn. the 5th anniversary of “Challenge Me” with a “new call to action to reignite the passion and generosity of the millions of people who dumped ice water on their heads in the summer of 2014.”

Shareef Abdur-Rahim, NBA vp-basketball operations and an NBA All-Star during his pro career, has been named president of the NBA G League

He will replace Malcolm Turner, who steps down from the position on Jan. 11, 2019, to become the AD for Vanderbilt University.

Turner has been with the NBA G League since the 2014-15 season.

Abdur-Rahim, the No. 3 overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, averaged 18.1 ppg in 12 NBA seasons and was named an NBA All-Star with the Atlanta Hawks in the 2001-02 season.

He also earned a gold medal with USA Basketball at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

“Shareef’s unique experiences as a player, team executive and member of the NBA’s Basketball Operations department make him a fantastic fit to be the next president of the NBA G League,” Mark Tatum, NBA deputy commissioner and COO, said via the league.

“He is well-prepared to build on the tremendous progress that the NBA G League has made under Malcolm, who deftly oversaw a pivotal period of expansion and transition.”

During Turner’s four-year tenure, the NBA G League expanded from 18 during the 2014-15 season to 28 for the 2019-20 season and transitioned from the NBA Development League to the NBA G League as part of an entitlement partnership with Gatorade.

Also during Turner’s watch was the implementation of both NBA Two-Way and Select Contracts and an enhanced partnership with USA Basketball to field teams comprised of NBA G League players during the qualifying rounds of the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

According to the NBA, when Turner joined the NBA D (now G) League, 33% of players on 2013-14 NBA end-of-season rosters had NBA G League experience. That number grew to 53% to close the 2017-18 season.

The NBA G League set records for attendance and visibility last season when more than 1.6 million people attended games (+11% over the previous season) and combined viewership across ESPNU and NBA TV grew 5% from 2016-17 to 2017-18.

The league also set records for social media metrics last season, with more than 150 million video views (up 47%) and four million actions (up 25%).

According to Abdur-Rahim. “I’ve seen firsthand the NBA G League’s remarkable growth under Malcolm’s leadership, and I look forward to working with the players, teams and my colleagues to take the league to even greater heights.”